The combination of two types of crisis: epidemiological and economic creates a fundamentally new and difficult situation for European integration. The authors do not share a view suggesting a qualitative weakening or even a complete disintegration of the European Union. However, the processes taking place are not indicative of the ordinary nature of the problems. In these circumstances, contradictions are escalating not only between North and South, which has been much written about recently, but also between West and East of the EU. “East’ includes the Baltic states in dire need of financial resources right now.

The purpose of the article is classification of contemporary political elites. The main steps to achieve this goal are to study the prerequisites for the emergence of the political elite as such, to consider the essence of the political elite in a state, to classify approaches to the definition of the political elite, to define the key types of political elites of today. The method of research is generalized theoretical analysis and systematization. The conducted theoretical analysis has defined the research question and problem: if the formal and conceptual contours of the political elite are approximately the same, but at the same time historical and modern state formations empirically demonstrate the different «power» and «weight» of the elite group, then what is the relevant typology of political elites, which allows predicting the priorities of its development in the future? The author has analyzed five existing classifications of political elites and proposed his own classification. As a result of the research, a new approach to the typology of elites was proposed. In particular, the identification of organizational, communicative, strategic and integration elites in the modern state is justified. This classification describes the functional-role content of elite groups and makes it possible to make an assumption about the development trends of political elites in modern society. The article concludes that the political elite is a society of people who have superiority over the others, and therefore are the most authoritative and competent in matters of state governance. The political elite consists of people who are actively involved in politics and have distinctive features: the right to nominate political leaders from their circles; special privileges; a certain degree of closeness to the elite members of other social strata; thinking based on the psychology of superiority over others; unique ideology; access to confidential state information.

The purpose of this article is to substantiate the key elements of public administration design of party and electoral systems development, namely, legislative, financial and communication technologies. The paper proves that qualitative, manageable, change in young democracy must inevitably be designed at the state level. Party and electoral systems are not only subject to spontaneous development, but can also be purposefully developed based on the goals and objectives of public administration. The key research issue in this paper is to identify factors that can hinder the processes of development and institutionalization of party and electoral systems in the Russian Federation. Theoretical basis of the study was formed by D. P. Quintal, G. Sartori, R. Taagepera, M. S. Shugart, K. Benoit and E. Laszlo. The application of political theories helped to prove the relevance of studying the party system as an important part of the political sphere, as well as to demonstrate the importance of the selected public engineering elements. The review of the practice of electoral and party institutes in the Russian Federation, based on theoretical analysis, helped to understand what are the features of state public engineering in this area. On the basis of the theoretical analysis, a number of conclusions were made about the validity of certain measures of state influence on the party and electoral systems. The public engineering for last half a century has gained special value from the point of view of development of political system as a whole and electoral system in particular. In the strategic plan, the public engineering of the development of the party and electoral system should be based on working with young people as a projective object of public management. The main factors that potentially have a negative impact on the development and institutionalization of party and electoral systems include the following: (1) the absence of a systematic approach to changes in legislation; (2) the absence of a comprehensive system of feedback from the electorate, which leads to sustainable absentism and may harm the very system of public engineering of party and electoral systems; (3) the unresolved problem of content management in the campaigns of political parties, as a result of which most campaigns are based on the promotion of leaders known to all, which is poorly aligned with the demand of young people for new political actors; (4) the lack of a comprehensive system of feedback from the electorate.

The current stage of development of the Russian insurance market in most regions is accompanied by imbalances in its development — a mismatch between the level of development of the regional insurance market and the needs of the region for insurance protection, as well as large deviations of insurance indicators at the regional level from their reference values, for example, the best or average across the insurance market countries. Therefore, the study of the causes of such imbalances, as well as the development of managerial decisions to reduce and eliminate them, is extremely relevant. The article contains an analysis of imbalances in the development of regional insurance markets and their respective regions, as well as a list of measures to reduce them. It also contains an analysis and assessment of imbalances in the development of regional insurance markets (RIM) due to deviations in the real quality and cost of services provided by the region from the reference ones. Particular attention is paid to identifying regional risks that determine the types of insurance that are priority for the region in question. The study used the method of experimental comparative analysis, deduction and statistical methods. The proposed approach to identifying imbalances in the development of RIM and the formation of managerial decisions to reduce them can be used to increase the effectiveness of the functioning of RIM, assessed by the two proposed criteria. The results of the work can be used to develop and implement national and regional strategies for socio-economic development, including the use of insurance as an institution of social and financial protection against risks.

Global competition requires innovation, which in turn is driven by a human factor. Labor resources are a prerequisite for the development of a country; therefore, a competition strategy for labor resources is becoming increasingly important for the development of enterprises or countries. With the deepening of global economic integration, thanks to political and geographical advantages and the possibility of increased political cohesion between China and Russia in terms of production factors, both sides are constantly strengthening cooperation. Labor cooperation is an important factor; labor shortages in the Russian Far East and Siberia may be closed by China’s labor resources. For the development of the northern regions of China, Northeast industrial cooperation with the Far East and Siberia is his top priority. For a more effective interaction between the two countries, a unified labor development strategy is necessary and are the basis of the economic resources of China and Russia.

In recent years, the topic of green finance has received great attention in the world. It is also gaining popularity in Russia, both in scientific discourse and in practical work. The global investment and financial system is also deeply involved in this process. ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors, which take into account the three pillars of sustainable development (environmental, social and corporate governance responsibility), formed the basis of the concept of “responsible/green investment.” Many financial markets around the world now have a strong interest in sustainable development. With good government support, securities markets can play a huge role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals related to green investment. In 2016–2017, 132 countries, which account for 82% of all harmful emissions, at the state level adopted a number of national initiatives in the field of green financing development. In the implementation of environmental, climatic and socially significant projects, independent specialized experts assess their compliance with green finance principles and standards. In addition, they are subject to special requirements for disclosure and isolation of cash flows. Countries that do not participate in the formulation of rules and standards in this not yet regulated market will eventually be forced to accept the conditions of play formed without their participation. The work emphasizes that green finance is an important factor for sustainable development. The subject of the study is green investment as one of the key elements characterizing the balanced socio-ecological-economic development of the country. The objective of the study is responsible/green financing of the national economy, viewed in the context that balanced sustainable development is the fundamental objective of macroeconomic policies of the State. The methodological basis of the study was the general scientific methods and techniques. The empirical basis of the study was statistics on the green investment market. The formation of a green investment market is an important factor contributing to the balanced development of the country as part of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The article provides a comparative study of Afghanistan’s investment agreements. The aim was to determine Russia’s potential as a state supporting investments in Afghanistan’s economy. The analysis of investors was done on the basis of the Investment Map of the International Trade Center. Data on investment flows are available from the statistical annex to the UNCTAD’s World Investment Report. The structure of Afghanistan’s investment treaties was presented on the UNCTAD website, on the International Investment Agreements Navigator page. Investment agreements of Afghanistan were analyzed according to the following plan: concessions within GATS, regional agreements, agreements with the countries of the West. GATS commitments provide sufficient space for investment in most areas other than the financial sector. The sphere of transport and construction, most developed by foreign investors, is opened to investment. Regional agreements with geographically and culturally close countries include the Agreement on Promotion and Protection of Investment among Member States of the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Agreement on Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investments Among Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. They have greater sectoral openness. Investors are offered a range of benefits beyond the commonly used tax incentives. The threats posed by political instability are specifically addressed. Expropriation of investments is complicated by a general ban and the right to challenge it in the court. These provisions create a more favourable climate for investment in Afghanistan by other Islamic states. The treaty between Germany and Afghanistan reflects Germany’s desire to clarify bilateral investment relations, in particular, it lists examples of «less favourable» treatment. Under the Afghanistan-US agreement, it can be judged that the US probably does not expect the Afghan government to protect unilaterally their investments. For this purpose, a special body has been formed with the participation of the US Trade Representative. Another feature of this treaty is the US position expressed in it in the field of protection of workers’ rights. Russia appears to have sufficient GATS commitments and guarantees under the Afghan Private Investment Act to protect its projects. The next phase of cooperation could be an agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investment, as a model of which the Afghanistan-Germany agreement could be taken. The construction projects in which Russia is most interested are not always interpreted as investments. This depends on whether the construction company’s representation is “permanent” in the host country. One more agreement — to avoid double taxation — could be questioned. However, Afghanistan does not have such agreements with any country.

Radical reforms cannot be an independent goal of economic development. Since 1990–1991, various management and economic practices have been oriented to various degrees to overcome the “path dependence”. However, it was not possible to get out of the effect of dependence on the previous path more than one country of the Former Soviet Union. D. North’s theory of variable reform processes proved to be ideal for explaining key problems of institutional development of the Former Soviet Union.

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is a pilot study of e-communications in three Russian firms to assess the culture of conflict resolution and the impact of strategies on employee retention at these firms.

Design/methodology/approach — Qualitative and quantitative research through a questionnaire and observation method to confirm the results. We use questionnaires by spontaneous sampling with quota elements; employees of the three selected firms have an equal chance of getting into an anonymous sample.

Findings — The culture of conflict in any organization should include professional mediation (fulfilled either by professional instructor or by a specially trained HR-specialist). All members of the organizational “family” should be informed that dealing with conflict and solving it is much better and productive than hiding and suppressing it.

Research limitations/implications — The paper shows the first results of the conflict study. It shows obvious drawbacks of contemporary empirical conflict solving. Further research should explore the effects of the recommendations we made and their fulfillment.

Originality/value — The article assesses the main conflict triggers in Russian organizations of various sizes. It also reveals the key assumptions that both workers and employers have that prevent them from effectively resolving conflicts. Based on empirical results, we have developed practical recommendations on conflicts that will be useful not only for managing the organizations we have studied but also for those who have ever encountered a conflict at work. 

The work is aimed at solving the actual problem of identification and interpretation of anomalous observations in the study of socio-economic processes. The proposed method is based on the use of a cluster approach to detecting anomalous observations. Clustering is performed using hierarchical methods, which are a set of data ordering algorithms aimed at creating dendrograms consisting of groups of observed points. In the case of mixed data consisting of numeric and categorical variables, it is proposed to use the Gower distance as a metric for distances between elements. Clustering quality is evaluated based on the sum of squares of metric distances between objects within the cluster and the average width of the silhouette. These indicators allow you to select the optimal number of clusters and evaluate the quality of the split results. The dendrogram can be used to study the symmetry groups of cluster systems and the causes of symmetry breaking. Anomaly detection is performed by analyzing the results of hierarchical clustering and identifying branches of the dendrogram that are located at the initial levels of tree construction and do not have branches. The implemented method makes it possible to more accurately interpret the results of clustering with respect to determining errors of the first and second kind in the form of anomalous observations in the data set. Using the described method, it is possible to effectively investigate socio-economic systems and manage their development.

Goal. In the modern economic system, a significant role is played by the development of new technologies, which are the driver of innovation. The changing nature of technology and knowledge transfer between the academic and industrial sectors is also a prominent area of study. However, there is no effective interaction system between researchers producing new technologies with commercialization potential and enterprises in the commercial sector, designed to enhance the innovative development of the economy. This article discusses the strategic meaning of the participation of various technology transfer market agents in the process of interaction between innovators and enterprises in the field of commercialization. A strategic approach to the main groups of participants and stakeholder analysis ensures high-quality ownership of the received technology and minimizes risks during the entire stage of the technology transfer implementation. A carefully verified description of technological capabilities in terms of their unique components and features allows the business to understand what might be the potential basis for its future competitive advantage.

Methods. In this article, using such general scientific methods of cognition as analysis, synthesis and induction, we analyze the value orientations of a technology transfer market participant. The authors concluded that ignoring the interest of each agent in the technology transfer market can reduce the synergistic effectiveness of government measures and mechanisms to support the technology transfer process. As a result of the study, the values of the participation of key innovation actors in the technology transfer process were identified. 

The purpose of the article is to reveal the religious structure inherent in modern mechanisms, which ensure global dominance of capital, legitimacy of political, economic and legal institutions in modern society. The article sets out a religious mechanism, generating ability of people to give an image and washed away their life in modern society. In conditions of fragility of the social structure, religion, drawing its energy, the power of persuasion from own foundations embodied in the concepts of “salvation”, “sin” and “repentance”, relevant redemptive practices, regardless of policy, retain their force, remaining the pillar of the social order, its last resort.

The article is devoted to the courage and heroism of the personnel of the railway troops of the Voronezh Front, participating together with the local population of the frontline regions in the construction of the very important 95 km railway line Stary Oskol — Rzhava for that time, as well as in the implementation of a huge amount of various work to restore damaged paths and bridges, communication wires, water points, depots, etc.

This article is devoted to the theoretical analysis of political and legal models of the organization of local self-government and aims to identify the main components of the model of local self-government in Russia, as well as to identifying points of growth and development. The theoretical basis of the research was formed by the theory of free community, social and economic theory, state theory of local government, as well as the dualism theory. The existing models of local self-government: Anglo-Saxon, Continental, and German were analyzed. In addition to the analysis of local self-government concepts, examples of states applying different governance models were also considered. The analysis highlighted the key characteristics of each model, as well as some features of their application in the contemporary context. It was argued that an important element of local governance, which is recognized in each model, as well as in “mixed” models, is a high level of trust and participatory activity on the part of citizens. Having analyzed the theoretical foundations of local self-government, as well as the experience of applying different models of governance in different countries, the author came to the conclusion that the combination of principles of different concepts and models of local governance is relevant in the conditions of globalization, as well as changes in social and political institutions. Today, in young democracies, including Russia, public administrators, citizens, and public organizations face an important question in search of an optimal model of governance at the local level. Forming a sustainable and effective system of local selfgovernment supposes that the principle of individual approach to subjects and settlements can play a key role. The main importance here is the emphasis on the formation of practices of trust and civic participation. These are the key points of growth and development of the emerging model of local governance. The development of civic participation and trust contributes to the efficiency of budget spending, solidarity and responsibility of citizens and their interest in solving the problems of the local community.

Information technology has become an integral part of the activities of authorities. One of the main elements of the ecosystem of the digital economy, including the infrastructure of the electronic government of the Russian Federation, are federal and regional state information systems. Only in St. Petersburg, as in the subject of the Russian Federation, 68 GISs operate, a limited budget determines the need for their rational distribution, taking into account the importance, complexity, impact on other systems. This determines the need for planning the distribution of costs of the city budget for their creation, maintenance and modernization. The task of defining such a plan can be considered as a decision making task. The article considers the issue of developing a generalized mathematical model of optimal planning under conditions of multicriteria and uncertainty.